‘In Defence of Western Journalists in Africa’, an article published earlier this year by renowned journalist and author Michela Wrong, responded to suggestions made (in particular by Lucy Hovil and Nanjala Nyabola) that Western journalists continually fail to adequately understand and appreciate the complexities of conflict in Africa. As a consequence, Hovil and Nyabola argued, […]
Recent Articles
A Brief Background to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has stemmed from several disagreements that all have roots in the past, before spiralling into the current conflict we see in the news. We are constantly bombarded with images of soldiers and civilians, politicians and commentators, Israelis and Palestinians. And, most importantly, everyone tries to decide who is right, who has the […]
Azawad and conflict in the Sahara and Western Sahel
Despite the insistence of western governments on framing the conflict within the ‘war on terror’ narrative, recent events in Mali are part of decades long struggle for Azawadi independence and the geopolitical manoeuvrings of regional and world powers. Negotiations are underway between Tuareg and Arab rebel groups and the Malian government following the signing of the Algiers […]
Gaza Conflict – The Realities of the Warzone
The current outbreak of violence in Gaza follows a pattern which has engulfed the region for more than half a century. The particularly aggressive offensive currently being carried out by the Israeli military resulting in around 1000 Palestinian deaths has led to the UN accusing the nation of possible war crimes. Israel, however believes that it is […]
Isolating Russia is not in anybody’s interest
The crash of MH17 that took place on 17 July was a stark reminder of the horrific incidents that can occur during a civil war. Unfortunately, rather than contemplating on how to end the Ukrainian crisis and ensure that similar future catastrophes do not happen again, the Ukrainian government and separatists blamed each other for […]
Deal on bank debt may ease Eurosceptic momentum
The year 2008 proved to be a landmark in Europe’s economic meltdown, a year in which policy makers began to realise the true losses on loans advanced by banks across peripheral Europe. September 30th, also known as “Black Monday” to the Irish population, proved to be a day of disaster. When the Irish government gave […]
Taliban express concern over factional divides as ISIS make significant gains
Leading Taliban officials have released a statement expressing their concerns over disputes between rival jihadist factions in Syria, after the recent declaration made by ISIS (who now wish to be known as the Islamic State) on June 29th that the territory under their control in Iraq and Syria is now an Islamic caliphate, under the […]
Russia Is Far From Isolated
Following the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, much has been said about Russia’s “isolation” from the “international community.” Russia’s relations with the West, and particularly with the U.S., have clearly undergone a dramatic deterioration over the past six months. Russia has recently been subjected to a previously unimaginable litany of trade sanctions, asset freezes, and visa bans. However, the West is only one part of the […]
Economic Implications of Rising House Prices
On Thursday the 26th of June, Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, announced a plan to curb the issuance of mortgages in the UK, by imposing two sets of rules.This comes as a reaction to the rapidly growing prices of UK and especially London property markets. Carney’s plan might work in terms […]
Cambodian government ignores UN recommendations on human rights practices
Following recommendations made at the Universal Periodic Review on 26 June, which saw the UN process shed light on a number of abuses apparently conducted by the current Cambodian administration, the government responded stating that the suggestions have been ‘noted’. The UN recommendations ignored by the government ranged from the reduction of control on free […]
What the Western media is not reporting on Ukraine
It has been reported and confirmed over the last few days that rebels who refuse to accept the legimiacy of the new Western puppet government of Ukraine have left the city of Sloviansk. The Western media quoted Ukrainian President Poroshenko as saying that Ukrainian troops had “liberated Sloviansk from terrorists”, and that it was “the […]
State Surveillance and the Social Contract
New findings published by Kaspersky Lab, concerning the widespread state deployment of digital surveillance tools used in some countries to spy on political dissidents, journalists and human rights advocates, place a further question mark over the western liberal agenda. The issues surrounding the collection of public data have been at the forefront of political debate […]
Leader of the Labour party faces many challenges
Almost four years into his leadership of the Labour Party, and with just 10 months to go until next year’s election, Ed Miliband has yet to persuade the electorate that he has the personal qualities needed to lead Britain. As a result, Labour is only narrowly ahead of the Conservatives, instead of enjoying the double-digit […]
New publication: Analysing media freedom rankings
While press freedom rankings determine national and international media policies, it is not always clear as to how objective these rankings really are. A new DW Akademie publication takes a closer look. Every year organizations such as Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House publish their respective press freedom rankings. They usually cause an outcry, especially from countries […]
Number of refugees passes 50 million
For the first time since the end of World War II, the total number of refugees in the world has risen above 50 million, according to figures released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The sharp increase in the total number of refugees was in large part the result of the ongoing Syrian […]
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